ANXT dropped one of my favorite projects of the year a few months back – but it was purely instrumental. The Chicago upstart refused to conform to industry standards as the album was presented as one track.

We spoke a few months ago, and in the interview he mentioned he rapped. I was intrigued and hoped he would put out something official soon. Thankfully he did a few months later – but I still craved a full length. For reasons I’m sure were deliberate, we’ve finally gotten it in Ain’t Shit Changed, But The Lingo. It features 4 remarkable tracks that separately, but wouldn’t make sense as singles. His hope was to mix the sounds of different ethnic cultures within hip-hop – and he did it almost too well. Although ANXT doesn’t have the following he deserves, he has raised the bar for what it means to be a multi-faceted artist. Societal issues are spoken on with flavor, instrumentals stay gritty and addictive, and his bar for bar skills flow as effortlessly as his skills behind the boards.